Gas, Gashol, Alcohol or Diesel, & Alternative Powered Bicycles

This is the thread for discussing all other methods of propelling a bicycle or HPV (Wind, Steam, Rubber bands, Clockwork, Compressed Air, Hamsters on Treadmills etc etc).
Please keep the main Electic Bikes Forum for ONLY discussing electric bikes.

This is a link to a video of two compressed air bikes under test. The commentary is in French, but that doesn't take much away from the video. Watch the sound volume because these bikes are very noisy which is something that would need to be worked on IMHO before they could be used on the road.

That steam powered plane is cool. Trouble is, it's not exactly alternative fuel. They used oil.

I guess you could power one with wvo which would make it alternative. A simpler, cheaper, possibly more efficient method of wvo propolsion is diesel. Anybody got any biodiesel powered bikes out there?

There is a company that makes a diesel motorcycle for the military. It is klr 650 based and is supposed to be good for 120 mpg. There is supposed to be a civilian one in the works, but, it will be $$$$$.

Steam is of interest to me because where I live is close to enormous plantation forests and it's easy to get hold of sawdust and mill slab for very cheap (sometimes free!). Travel over vasty distances doesn't bother me much because I'm perfectly content to stay in my own district and have nuffing to do with 'them odd folk over hill'. If I can travel to the surrounding villages I'm perfectly content and really steam would be just corker for that

Reported Post by Mabman

Check out Alcohol Can Be A Gas by David Blume. There is a nice section in there about small engines that I hope to be getting the best of here before too long. We are looking at raising the compression on small 4 strokes enough to burn the fuel correctly and introducing HHO to the mix also with a small generator run off an alternator. Gotta be ready for anything anymore.

Due to the higher compression if gas is used it must be of the highest octane available or lesser with an additive booster. The idea is towards self sufficiency with this though and our efforts will be grass root (i just can't stop with the innuendo's tonight) to start of course but perhaps as time goes on the idea will spread? A small legal operation to manufacture ethanol at a rate of 4-5 gallons an hour is not that much of an investment actually. The ethanol will not be made using corn either to quell that argument in the bud. There are many forms of biomass that can be used that are far superior to corn that don't take anything away from food producing agricultural land. One of my favorites is spent wort from beer production! And of course grass clippings as alluded to earlier. In fact according to Blume corn is perhaps one of the worst options available.

And thanks for moving this to the correct spot. After reading that poll thread I for sure was worried about panties bunching but it seems like the higher powers here at least have level heads.

But I for one am not there with the concept. For one thing you had better make sure that land use regulations allow it. The bikes pictured would not meet legal criteria for street use either as the engines are too many cc's.

I guess I always considered bicycles to be powered vehicles to begin with? Putting a small engine of any sort, gas or electric, does change the vibe for sure. You just have to come to grips with what your needs are and for me hauling heavy loads that would normally have to go via auto by bike is a priority. The use of motor assist makes that mission safer and more pleasurable.

Tweaking the Bumvee

Did some mods to the bicycle utility motorassist vehicle today. Basically swapped out a cheap 26" sus fork front end for a cheap 700c rigid. The front end is much less vague with no loss of comfort. Used a NOS Girvin Flex Stem that I had in stock which I am not sure does much but it looks cool! Surprisingly I had a couple of other choices of 1 1/8" quill stems to choose from also that I had forgotten about in this age of threadless. DSC00829.jpg

This bike is so super that I thought this old Speedwell head badge was appropriate so I stuck it on also.DSC00831.jpg

Took a few errand runs today and one was to get a steerer tube cut and starfangled nut installed for my town bike at the bike shop cause I don't have the proper tools to do so. It was $4 well spent and got to rip around some and show off the bumvee at the bike shop. The manager took it for a short beat and came back with a big grin on his face and the wheels turning in his head....The flatbed makes it easy to transport stuff, just need a few bungies.DSC00834.jpg

The little rack pack stays there nicely after threading the attachment straps around one of the bed boards. Makes a handy place to keep the lock and tool kit/flat stuff. This bike will carry a pretty good load without any effort on its part or the operators

I'm old enough to remember such vehicles (if you want to call them that) in Chicago, only we called them "weenie wagons" or hot dog carts. Same copious venting of steam, large yellow umbrella shading the 'works' and rider. I'm certain ours smelled ( and tasted) much better than the one posted. Ah, I can taste it now, a good Kosher dog on a steamed bun, slathered with mustard, relish, onions, cukes and hot peppers washed down by a favorite cold beverage! Life was, still is, good!

right

How you gonna ride these things I wonder. Moreover how you gonna handle such a piece of metal if you have to manually move it in small space like a room or garage at least. However someone might have a pleasure to try to ride such a thing. I would certainly try this one

A Goblin, and it's not Halloween any longer!

This is a Sun USX trike with a Subaru Robin or Honda 33 - 50 cc gas engine mounted onto an industrial strength gearbox with a partial velomobile body. The drive is by Staton, and what is really interesting is that Staton is working on a bolt on electric motor for the same drivetrain, thus making the Goblin a three way hybrid vehicle - human, gas, electric power! Were it only totally enclosed! Price point (in US$) is right where Bluevelo in Toronto has placed their Team velomobile. Interesting!

The fellow who put it all together makes 'fiberglass rocks and waterfalls' in Tucson, Az. USA.